Awaken
by Mika Casey
Summary: KankuTen fluff oneshot. Set post-timeskip, both are adults. Kankuro thinks about the woman sleeping in his arms.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I have some sad news: Kankuro and Tenten are not mine.

**Author's Note**: Wheee, more crack couple goodness. I hope this one makes up for my last KankuTen attempt, which I think turned out pretty crappy. Just a drabble. I was working on third person thought/memories and descriptions. Anywho, enjoy this one and please rewiew. Thankies.

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Kankuro awoke to total darkness. He was lying on his side, blankets surrounding him like a protective shell. His muscular arms were wrapped around a petite figure lying in front of him. He could hear her steady breathing. She was still asleep. He pressed his chest against her bare back, closing his eyes.

It was in this room that he felt the most exposed. Devoid of his clothes and makeup, he was vulnerable. The masquerade that he put on to the outside world no longer mattered in this room. Here, he was free. He was a bird, and the door to the birdcage was ajar. He could fly and show the true color of his feathers. He would bare his soul here and not fear rejection or loathing by anyone.

It wasn't the actual room that unchained his soul. It was simple; a queen-sized bed with crimson sheets and white pillows, a large window that was covered with white curtains, a built in closet on the far wall. But he could live in a jail cell and remain indifferent. No, it was not the appearance of the room.

The reason for his carefree existance in this room was the person he shared it with. Before he discovered the beauty that was her love, he didn't even believe he had a soul. He had been stranded in a world of darkness and chaos, and she had become his guiding light. She was his whole world, his reason to think twice before provoking an unneccesary fight. He loved her from the depths of the heart he never thought he posessed. The woman in his arms was what had changed him.

Snuggling closer to her, he took in her enchanting scent. She smelled of honey and roses, but his nose also detected the harsh fragrance of himself coming off her person. Beneath her delicate aroma, the faint odor of cactus flowers and musk lingered. She was his in every way possible, and that made him the happiest he had ever been in his whole life.

She was his wife of seven years, his lover, and the mother of his children. His hand made its way down from her shoulder to her stomach, which was swollen with their third child. His fingertips lazily traced the outside of her belly button as he pressed his face into her unbound dark brunette hair. The locks of her hair his face was buried in were perfect silky ringlets. He sighed in contentment, his breath softly expelled onto her neck.

Feeling her stir against his arm, a smile played on his lips. He waited patiently for her to speak as he stopped the movement of his fingers and softly pressed his palm against her stomach.

Shifting slowly, she rolled onto her back so she could look up at him. His hand still sat on her belly, caressing her soft velvety skin with the rough heel of his palm. Her chocolate eyes were clouded with sleep as she spoke quietly. Her voice was the most exquisite of all melodies to him. "Good morning, Kankuro."

He smiled down at her, his dark brown eyes permeated with eternal affection. "Indeed, my Tenten." He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

As Kankuro stepped out of the shower, soaked from head to toe with warm water, her heard a knock on the bathroom door. He wrapped a soft white towel around his waist and proceeded to answer it.

Turning the knob and pulling the door towards himself, Kankuro peered around it. His eyes rested on a small boy. He was about half the Kankuro's size. The child's hair was spiked up and dark brunette. His coffee colored eyes glinted with amusement, his expression smug and mischevious. The boy was wearing gray pants and a green tee-shirt. Clutching a kunai in his fist, he looked up at Kankuro and spoke. "Daddy, will you help me with my face paint?"

"Of course, Taku." With these words, Kankuro stepped around the door and leaned down to pick up his five-year-old son. Lifting Taku onto the bathroom counter next to the sink, Kankuro grinned. The door had two kunai embedded in it, thrown from the outside. "Have you been practicing your marksmanship?" He asked his son, heart swelling with pride. His son had the best aim since, well, Tenten herself. Taku had been learning about weapons from his mother since he started showing an interest in them at three years old.

The boy nodded nonchalantly. Kankuro opened a drawer in the counter and extracted two round containers of paint; one black and one dark purple; as well as two paintbrushes. He unscrewed the lid from the jar of black paint and dipped the slender paintbrush into the thick material. Bringing the brush up to his son's face, Kankuro applied night black makeup to his son's eyes, cheeks, mouth, and chin. Blowing on the dark substance to quicken the drying process, Kankuro spoke. "You look like a warrior."

Smiling shyly, Taku's eyes glittered happily. "Just like you."

This made the puppet-nin grin from ear to ear. Father and son's heads both turned towards the door when a lovely woman's voice sounded from down the hall. "Breakfast!"

Kankuro helped his son to the floor. Taku rushed out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen, eager for a meal.

Pulling off his towel and dressing in his black loose-fitting body suit, the puppet-nin hummed happily. He pulled on his two-pointed hat and applied his own dark purple face paint. After stowing away the paint and brushes, he exited the bathroom and made his way towards the kitchen. 


End file.
